The Artful Dodgers Studios is a flexible and welcoming studio space in Collingwood, where young people create art and music with the support of experienced artists and musicians.

The studio is open to young people between the ages of 15 – 27 who are living with difficult circumstances.

Established by Jesuit Social Services in 1996, we are one of Victoria’s longest running community cultural development programs.

At the Artful Dodgers Studios we celebrate diversity and are inclusive of young people from ALL genders, religions, cultural and identity backgrounds.

From June 2017 to July 2018 we had more than 220 participants from over 26 countries engaging in art forms ranging from silk painting, collage and video making to music production and performance.

Artful Dodgers Studios aims to;

Engage young people through the making of art and music

Increase young people’s social connection, self-esteem and employability

Encourage young people to re-engage positively with learning

We offer young people free visual art and music mentoring in a safe, vibrant space.

Artful Dodgers Studios gives marginalised young people the chance to work in fully-equipped art and music studios with professional practising artists and musicians.

In the studio, young people can work with a range of paints and drawing materials, experiment with printmaking, collage, stencils, sculpture and jewellery-making. We also provide access to equipment and software for digital art forms, including animation, video, graphic design and internet art. Recently, we have also opened a ceramic studio and have expanded our sewing facilities.

Through Artful Dodgers Studios, young people can choose to:

– drop in to the open access studios to work on individual or collaborative projects.

– engage in one-on-one mentoring

– participate in a workshops series

Our fully-equipped music recording studio helps young people explore their musical potential. The versatile studio caters for one-on-one sessions with professional musicians and producers. This includes instrument tuition, song-writing development, recording and live performance skills. The studio has a range of instruments available for participants to use.

We provide opportunities for young people to publicly exhibit art and perform music.

We give young people the chance to exhibit their art in various public contexts and to perform their music at our monthly Megaphone concerts.

We support young people to participate in community arts and music projects.

Through these opportunities, young people can be recognised as cultural contributors and decision-makers in their own arts practice.

We help young people build healthy relationships and access support services.

Through the practice of art and music, we develop young people’s trust and model positive and healthy relationships.

At the Artful Dodgers Studios, we create a cultural haven where young people can:

– Explore identity beyond risk factors

– Develop a routine and build familiarity with the Studio

– Realise their unique stories and visions

– Express their experience of marginalisation through creative projects

– Access other (‘wrap-around’) support services.

Other Jesuit Social Services programs are readily available to all young people who attend the studios. These include support in the areas of drug and alcohol, mental health, education, training, and employment. We also have close working relationships with.

The Artful Dodgers Studios teaches but is not a school;

The Artful Dodgers Studios responds to mental health but is not a clinical program; it provides practical skills but is not a training program; participants gain access to employment, education and training but it is not a Job Network Provider.

The Artful Dodgers Studios is a wraparound program set in a safe and nurturing environment – it provides skilled scaffolding around young people, enabling them to explore a spacious program model designed around fields of fascination, lifestyle interests, and life aspirations.

We are proud that our program is not a linear, stepping-stone model where young people are forced to acquit themselves within strict timelines, defined aspirations or set program choices.

The Artful Dodgers Studios delivers a range of programs that are experiential, developmental and educational. Young people can choose the program areas with which they wish to engage and can participate in the range of programs on offer singularly or concurrently.

All our programs aim to enhance well-being and social and economic inclusion. We also deliver real outcomes in pre-accredited training, skills development, enhanced decision-making and teamwork skills, goal setting, and social enterprise.

Young people participate in the program at a pace that accommodates their health and wellbeing needs and encourages them to thrive.

Please take a look a lot at the Gallery page to see examples of our studios and philosophy at work.”

Funders and Supporters

The Artful Dodgers Studios is grateful to the wonderful organisations and individuals whose support enables us to keep our doors open.

Government Supporters:

Department of Health and Human Services

City of Yarra

Philanthropic Supporters:

Gandel Philanthropy

Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation

The Jenkins Foundation

Noel and Carmel O’Brien Family Foundation

The Adcock Foundation

Community Supporters:

James Hains & Margot Hains

Andrew Francis

The Gertrude Players

Kookai

MRecht

Aesop

Lazerpig

Bunnings Collingwood

Team

Angeliki Androutsopoulos

Angeliki Androutsopoulos is the Arts and Culture Coordinator and it’s her job to steer the Artful Dodgers Studios ship. She has over 25 years of experience in working within a community development context and believes that arts and cultural development, with inclusive and respectful engagement, can make a change not only in an individual person’s life but across communities. She loves working at Artful Dodgers Studios because she is surrounded by extraordinary people who teach her new things every day.

Jason Penfold

Jason Penfold has lived a creative life right from the start! From extracting colours from flowers grown in his mum’s garden to studying the extensive uses of art therapy to his own artistic practise working with natural history. He enjoys working within an art studio space with young people to help them thrive creatively Jason believes that young people’s artistic abilities need to be nurtured as they are the future.

Louise Terry

Louise Terry is a vocalist and music producer who works in the community cultural development sector. Her contribution to the creative industry spans two decades of releasing and touring music independently, coupled with working professionally as a programmer for music festivals and as an educator and youth arts mentor in remote and urban locations within Australia. Currently Louise composes and produces electronic music under the name Louise Terra and sings in local disco band Sugar Fed Leopards.

Jesse Sullivan

Jesse Sullivan is a multi instrumentalist, producer and DJ based in Melbourne. He specialises in electronic music and hip hop, with an interest in a wide variety of musical genres. His skills include recording, beat making, production, composition and song-writing. Helping young people realise their ideas and follow their musical passions and hearing new songs every day are just a few of the reasons Jesse loves working at the Artful Dodgers Studios.

Halszka Masash

Halszka Masash is a multimedia artist who works across a variety of mediums. She specialises in 3D computer graphics, traditional fine arts and crafts, with an interest in mythology, alternative realities and fantasy utopian worlds. Her skills include 3D modelling, digital design and generally making stuff. Helping young people express, create and have heaps of fun, while on their journey of self-discovery are just a few of the reasons Halszka loves working at Artful Dodgers Studios.

Danielle Sherry

Danielle Sherry is the Coordinator of the Just Voices Speakers Program. She uses her administrative skills to manage the business end of things. She also gets to create amazing experiences for schools, corporates, community groups and festivals. She loves working at Artful Dodgers Studios because she gets to see how important it is for people to see and hear the courage and resilience of people living in our communities.

Paulie Stewart

Paulie Stewart is the inspirational and artistic force behind the Just Voices Speakers Program. With a lifetime in journalism and as the lead singer of a highly successful Australian band the Painters and Dockers. Paulie draws on his extensive music and media experience to mentor and promote our team of social justice speakers and artists. Paulie loves working at Artful Dodgers Studios and doesn’t see it as just a job, it’s a much, much bigger journey.